The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-01-21
tStenogr:tphic;lly reported for the MONITOR.
THE RELIGIOUS TRAINING OF
CHILDREN IN THE HOME.
Discourse Delivered by Dr. Felix
Adler Before the Society for Ethical
Culture, In NaIafOrIum Hail. Phil
adelphia. January I'd, 1857.

Culture, In NatafOrium Hail. Phil
adelphia. January Id, 1857.
Concluded from last week.
Now there is one service which | believe
prayer has always rendered young chill.
dren. and that is simply to see father and
mother in an attitude of reverence. The
child sits at the table and sees father and
titude OF reverence toward a higher power
The shadow or the light of something
higher is thus reflected on its own life
II gets to feel that even above this revered
father and mother there is something
vaster, something higher In this way
the parent is digniiied in the eyes of the
child, and the child's own sense Of rever-
cnce is cultivated We have too little of
reverence in American life 1t is the evil
tendency of Democratic institutions to
wipe out that mob lie sentiment to a degree.
and We need to cultivate it, OF course |
cannot advise that parents should simulate
all attitude of prayer, but | think that in
other ways something of the same result
can be attained.
In the first place, negatively, | should
say that parents can do great deal to cul-
tivate the feeling of reverence in children
by speaking with reverence of all consti-
tuted authorities. 1t is one of the influ-
ences of Democracy that we allow our
selves to speak of the President of the
United States in terms which are neither
credtable to us nor to the government and
the institutions under which we live. think
that every parent especially owes the duty
to himself and the children to distinguish
between the office and the incumbent of
ourselves. and are justified in critcising
the incumbent, That we must show our re-
speet for the office, for all officers, for the
President of the United States, for the
Governor of the State, for the Mayor of
the city and mere especially for the teach
er of the child; that we should never criti-
cize the child s teacher in the presence OF
the child; never speak otherwise than in
terms of respect of the man to whom we
intrust our chld's education.
That is one way of creating reverence in
the little heart No matter what fault we
may have to find in the presence of our
children, | hold it is proper that we
should not speak of their faults, because
the child cannot yet separate between the
nj t,, nEn ttonca ct Snna |.
with respect OF the man in the child's pres
ence. in order that it may not lose its re-
spect for the office.
In the same way think that it is very
beautiful thing to hang mp in our parlor, III
our best room. and in the most conspic-
uous and honored place, the picture or the
photograph of some great MAJ whom We
admire. Whether you are
an admirer of Emerson, whether your
taste runs in the direction of philosophic
reading and you particularly look ur to
Plato, or whether your IDEAS are more of
the modern evolutionary scale, and Spen-
Ger is your iavorite or whether your emo
tons are stirred more by great poetical
characters and you feel deepest perhaps for
our Lincoln. | think there should be in
every household some enc person at least,
possibly a group, to whom the parents
look with especial respect persons of
whom the parents often speak, whose virtues
they admire. whose career has impressed
itself ON their recsllections. And | think
that If the parents speak OF this great man,
or these great men, in the presence OF the
child, and occasionally take the child by
the hand and stand before the picture and
say ''this was SO and so, and The die SO
and so, :" think that attitude of reverence
will sink far deeper into the child's mind
than the very often purely formal and con-
vention Il inaathering Of look and OF atti-
tude, when the prayer is the same. After
all, the idea of God suggests only very
vague things. We can only speak OF God
in the vagueSt terms-''the All-Great,
tAll-Wise.' 'Omnipotent. There are
no distinctive ideas connected with the idea
OF God except that of a vast something. of
a higher power floating above us. The
child does feel in the old Orthodox family
that the parents revere higher power, but
the effect or look of distinctive reverence is
no, as deep as when the parents reverence
is directed towards some great human
character, character whose virtues stand
out i'll bold relief, and whose story we must
:. :. f.,,.t IN. la children
So much for the attitude of reverence m
general.
Now as to prayers, it seems to me that
we can distinguish between the morning
and evening prayer and the grace at meals
For a substitute for the morning and even
inc prayer. | think highly Of a little morn
inc and evening song. think 1t IS well to
begin the day, at all events, and Il possible
10 close the day, with solemn music. The
children of the family should assemble be-
fore breakf fast in the parlor anh sing thelr